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Friday, October 26, 2012

Bark Out About the Dangers of Chocolate this Halloween

Whether the kids are bringing home treats this Halloween or you have some set out for trick-or-treaters, make sure they're kept out of reach of your pooch, in particular those treats of the chocolate variety.

Chocolate is toxic to dogs. Period. I think we all know someone who feels like just a little bit of chocolate is a treat for a dog. It isn't.

Chocolate for humans, Yes. For dogs, No - Never.

Our digestive systems are different and as researched, the reason why every vet that you'll meet will tell you that chocolate is toxic is due to a dog's digestive system taking much longer to digest chocolate than humans. Since chocolate contains caffeine, this prolonged exposure which goes on for hours vs. the minutes that it takes to work through a human's system, can cause nausea, diarrhea, and cardiac arrest. This goes for dogs of all ages, but why put anymore strain on your older dog's heart that they would get with a few extra moments of exercise.

Do the responsible thing for both of you and just say no to chocolate.

Our cover dog this week is Sasha, who is sporting her caterpillar costume. I was lucky enough to be Sasha's handler at an adoption event last week. This picture was taken after we were off taking a break to roll around in the grass.